As US infrastructure crumbles and water supplies dwindle, the cities that are leading deployment of distributed water solutions are finding an economic upside to their water woes– new businesses and new jobs. Distributed water systems save water by treating and reusing water onsite, and those systems require a new breed of engineers. In addition to the almost 300,000 workers that are needed for the US’s existing water systems, onsite water systems will require certified mobile engineers to maintain distributed systems in offices, stores, hospitals and other commercial and residential buildings.

How many jobs in modernizing water infrastructure?

The towns and the businesses that move early to implement distributed systems may see the same kinds of jobs and economic growth that the solar and wind industries have generated in early-mover markets like Texas and California. The businesses that build the first onsite water systems are positioned to equip neighboring areas with those solutions and grow rapidly. According to the Solar Foundation, the solar industry has outpaced most sectors of the US economy, adding workers at a rate nearly 12 times faster than the overall economy and accounting for 1.2% of all jobs created in the U.S., resulting in over 115,000 new domestic living-wage jobs.